Park City in the Summer: How to Plan the Perfect Day

Park City in the summer gives you a different view of the city.  ©Gentry Hale

Destination Utah / Park City in the Summer

Park City, Utah, is one of the most sought-after ski destinations in the world. A chic mountain town tucked into the Wasatch, it’s built on world-class slopes, the 2002 and 2034 Winter Olympics, sprawling luxury homes and easy access from Salt Lake City.

But spend time here when the lifts aren’t the main attraction, and a different version of the town starts to come into focus.

I’ve spent years visiting Park City from my home in nearby Salt Lake City, slipping up the canyon for quick weekends or an overnight reset in the summer. Wthout the urgency of winter, it settles into itself. And while it’s often overshadowed by the scale and influence of Vail Resorts, the most interesting version of Park City exists in the margins of its peak season.

Here is a repeatable, customizable way to spend a Park City day in the off-season.

Mornings move a little slower in Park City during the summer months. Embrace them and enjoy this special season.

Mornings are slow and peaceful outside of ski season, with no need to rush for first chair or beat traffic up the canyon. People sleep in a little longer and actually use the spaces they’re staying in.

For a luxury stay, the St. Regis Deer Valley is a glamorous property with unparalleled service. They even recently added a designer handbag borrowing program through Vivrelle.

If you want more of a boutique feel, Washington School House Hotel is where to stay. Small, quiet, highly designed, and right off Main Street inside a restored 1889 schoolhouse. It feels much more intimate than the larger resorts and Forbes and Architectural Digest both regularly include it on luxury Park City lists.

The Lodge at Blue Sky is about 35 minutes outside Park City in Wanship, and is arguably the most immersive luxury experience in the area. The ranch-style stay has auberge-level service, horseback riding, fly fishing, wellness programming and one of the strongest food programs in Utah through Yuta and Gracie’s Farm.

If traveling with family or a group, I suggest a stay at Westgate Park City Resort & Spa, where you can book entire time share condos for just a weekend. Booking a timeshare is a great way to have a home-away-from-home feel. The extra space, full kitchens, separate living areas and room to spread out gives you a place to relax and reframes the entire trip.

I’ve noticed more travelers leaning into that approach, staying longer and treating Park City less like a quick stop and more of a long-stay getaway.

Once you are up and ready for breakfast, drift toward Five5eeds, a Park City staple. The restaurant owners draw from their Melbourne roots, offering well-pulled espresso and a menu prompting Turkish eggs and shakshuka.

Winter ski lifts still run in the summer, but for a different sort of view.  ©Gentry Hale

With spring, ski runs become speckled with wildflowers, buzzing with wildlife, easier to move through, and accessible, no matter how much or how little you want to do.

There are more than 400 miles of trails in the area for a short hike in the morning or full-day treks. One of the easiest ways to explore Park City outside is by renting an electric bike and heading through Swaner Preserve and EcoCenter, which protects hundreds of bird species and stretches out into a wide, open area just outside of town.

Stand-up paddleboarding, horseback riding, fly-fishing and mountain biking are all available from beginner to extreme. Even the ski lifts continue running through the warmer months, opening up access to higher elevations without the effort of hiking up.

There is no shortage of places to eat around Park City.

Ask any local where they recommend, and you are likely to hear Matilda. The sourdough-crust pizzas come out blistered and slightly charred around the edges. Visit for lunch and you’ll see tables full of people stretching their meals well into the afternoon over glasses of wine and small plates.

Riverhorse on Main is one of the places that helped put Park City on the map for food years ago, and it holds that position still. The restaurant is classic and polished, a Park City must-visit.

A few blocks away, Handle gives Riverhorse a run for its money. The restaurant opened in 2014 with a focus on farm-driven American food and quickly became one of the hardest reservations in town.

For a quick afternoon meal try Nosh, a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern casual eatery, with housemade falafel, shawarma, hummus, and bright grain bowls. Each of these restaurants pushes the town’s food scene well beyond what most people expect from a mountain destination.

Arts, music and culture have come to define Park City just as much as the mountains do. Finding afternoon activities is easy, especially when the weather is nice.

The Egyptian Theatre has been at the center of the Park City art scene since 1926, originally inspired by the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. Sundance screenings helped define its reputation, but throughout the year it hosts concerts and performances.

The Kimball Arts Festival draws tens of thousands each summer, transforming the street into an outdoor gallery. Events like Savor the Summit celebrate Park City’s culinary scene and summer concert series are held throughout the city.
And of course, anywhere in Utah, you need to enjoy the scenery. For a scenic drive in the surrounding mountains, head towards Kamas.

Kamas is a small town that most people pass through on their way to the Uinta Mountains, and I used to do the same, until I pulled off the highway and ended up at Dendric Estate. This 20-acre property is a high-mountain cidery with everything grown, pressed and bottled on site.

The cider they produce is dry and crisp with a sharp, clean edge that feels closer to white wine than the sweeter ciders. There’s no added sugar, the alcohol is lower and the finish is clean.

Right now, visitors can stop by on weekends, pick up a bottle, and walk the property a bit, getting a sense of what’s being built. In the next few years, they’re planning to open a tasting room in the middle of the orchard, all in an intentional effort to keep green space and preserve the agricultural heritage of the Kamas Valley.

The culinary scene in Park City can holds its own – snow is optional.  ©Gentry Hale

Park City’s food scene no longer feels like a support crutch for increasing tourism, but a defining element of the city that can stand on its own. I have watched the culinary offerings expand over the last decade, as bold, creative, cultural eateries make their way onto the streets.

An impressive member of this new wave is Le Depot Brasserie, which opened in February 2025 inside the old Union Train Depot. The team has highlighted the building’s history and layered in a French brasserie concept that is new to the mountain town.

Upstairs, what used to be Robert Redford’s Sundance office has been turned into a chic dining room with large windows looking down onto the heated patio below. French artwork lines the walls, and a mosaic of vintage champagne ashtrays catches the eye as you enter the bar.

I suggest you order steak frites, fresh mussels or the rotating fish, all prepared in a French tradition.

For another twist on French cuisine, try Apex Restaurant in Deer Valley. The drive up the mountain alone is worth it, winding through quiet alpine roads before opening up to sweeping views over the valley. It is a French-inspired steakhouse at its core, but it doesn’t stay strictly within those lines.

Wildflowers replace snow during the summer season and it provides a way to relax, unwind, and embrace the outdoors.

“A spa’s job is to enhance the experience of the location you are visiting,” said Matthew Punsalan, spa director of Montage Deer Valley, the largest spa in Utah and, arguably, the best.

Punsalan says the Park City client doesn’t behave like the typical spa guest. People aren’t coming here to sit still all day. They’re here to move, to push themselves outside, then figure out how to recover fast enough to do it again the next day, he said.

So the spa was built around that idea.

From targeted massage work designed to get the body back to baseline to more technical options like ultrasound therapy for specific pain points, nearly 60 percent of the treatment menu focuses on recovery. At elevation, everything hits a little harder. The body works more, fatigue sets in faster and recovery takes longer. The treatments here account for that, focusing on circulation and muscle repair rather than passive comfort.

Montage Deer Valley is also known for its wellness programming. There are pre-hike meditations, water-based HIIT classes and yoga sessions held outdoors, where the mountain becomes part of the experience.

Many people are surprised at how innovative the craft beverage scene is in Park City.  ©Gentry Hale

For a relaxing evening, visit Alpine Social Club, a laid-back hangout spot on Main Street and an extension of the Alpine Distillery brand.

“We wanted it to be an extension of our living room,” said Sara Sergent, the co-founder and master botanical distiller behind the company. She’s become one of the most recognized names in craft gin and botanical distilling in the U.S., including induction into London’s Gin Guild and multiple international awards. Her vision is clear in the large sofas, low lighting and board games in the corner.

This is the best place to unwind. They have purpose-built cocktails, small tasting flights, and a full nonalcoholic program that’s treated with the same level of attention as everything else. Transparency is a theme here: they were one of the first in the country to include full nutritional information on cocktails, and everything is built to be clean and intentional.

Hit a local concert to finish out the night, then return to your room for a peaceful rest in the high-altitude air.

Without snow, Park City has nothing to hide behind, and that’s when its real personality comes into focus.

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